Morning journal and courier., 1887-04-14
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
How the EnglishneR Helped the
 Rebels


 Captain w. c. Staples, late of the United States navy, of Westport, has begun series of reminiscent sketches in the Norwalk Ga zette, telling his experiences in the navy dur ing the war. The following is from the sto- " of his first cruise on board the 'Tuscaro- ra:"
 We arrived at Southampton early in Janu- ary and found the Nashville" there. think they seemed astonished to see us, as almost everyone in the United States sup posed .us gone upon the blockade Ihere was great excitement in England about the time of our arrival. Prince Albert has just died. and Mason and Slidell had been taken out of an English mail boat. Steamers were being eoaled and provisioned, and troops were being shipped day and night for Cana da, pending the answer of our government that they (Mason and SlidelU should be gly- en tip. War with the United States was considered inevitable. Three large frigates of fifty guns each were sent around to South- am pton from Portsmouth, to lie near us and watch us, and see that did not commit any breach of the neutrality laws. The Nashville was in the dock at Southampton, while we were watching her from about a mile below In Southampton water, as the
  abreast of the historical ruin of Netley ab- bey. One of the English frigates sent to watch us was the ''Shannen," the trigate that captured the 'sChesapeake" in Boston bay during the lest war with England. She had been converted into & splehdlo steam frigate of fifty guns. It is not very i}kely there was much of the original Shannon in the new ship, but the name was there all the same, and that was not calculated to make our commander or his officers in an angelic temper. Every morning at break fast in the wardroom Lieutenant Jones would congratulate us that we were not confined ln the tower of London. After @ while news came that Mason and Slidell had been given up and the danger of a war with England was for the present averted. All the frigates except the Shannon" were ordered back to Portsmouth and we were left to watch the Nashville in peace. After perhaps week Captain Patty, of the royal navy, who held the office of port captain in Southampton and Cowes paid us visit and gave us the interpretation of international law as inter preted by the British admiralty. It was th1s substantially: Hostile ships in a neutral | port could not leave within twenty y-four 1 hours of each other, and Captain Craven was way the "Tusearora" must not start for 1 twenty-four hours. To prevent the escape of the Nashville" Captain Craven would get the ''Tuscarora" under way and run out side the Needles into the English channei, and then come back and anchor, which would compel the Nashville" to stay tWen- ty-fout hours from the time of our start, or | about twenty four hours from the time of our return. The next day the same programme, l so that unless some change was made the Nashville" could never get to sea.
 Upon our return one day we found the same three frigates at Cowes, whose company | we had before at Southampton waiting our arrival. Captain Patty paid us another visit and said to Captain Craven that the Nash ville'' was ready to start upon his signal, that the ''Tuscarora" must lie still at anchor | for the next twenty four hours, and that he was there with force enough to enforce his | orders. One of the frgates was anchored | on each beam of our ship and one astern | with springs on her cables, men at quarters | and steam up. Of course there was no help | for and we were compels1 to witness the l Nashville" come down from Southampton,
 dip her ensign to the British frigates, which
 they answered and proceeded to sea, protect
 ed by the British navy. That night I had | the mid-watch from 12 to a.. m. Captain
 Craven wrote in his cabin until ? 8. m.,
 when he came on deck to smoke a cigar, as
 he almost always did before retiring for the
 night. We were walking fore and aft the | quarter er-deck, and the first words he spoke | were: MT. S., I wish there was nothing tC prevent me from standing Captain Paty upon i the beach st twelve paces tomorrow morn 1 ing. He broke faith with me-"